


Chrysanthemums

by Poetinprogress1234



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:13:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24030391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poetinprogress1234/pseuds/Poetinprogress1234
Summary: Josie coughed again, and a second petal joined the first, an identical hue of purple. She swallowed hard; At that moment, Josie knew she was screwed. Josie was infected with a terrible disease, and she knew it was incurable.Josie prayed for a miracle.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson & Josie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson & Penelope Park, Josie Saltzman & Lizzie Saltzman, Milton "MG" Greasley & Penelope Park, Penelope Park/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 9
Kudos: 76





	1. Prologue

Meeting Penelope Park had been Josette Saltzman's first miracle. She remembered the day vividly, even years later. Josie remembered the chill in the September air, how she trembled even under the rays of the Virginian sun. She recalled how apprehensive she felt, her stomach coiling into anxious knots as she gazed up at the magnificent structure in front of her. Witnessing the Salvatore School for the first time, one hand in her mother's and the other gripped tightly in her sister's tiny grip, Josie had never seen so many children her age in one place before. Though they were dressed identically in their plaid dressed and ironed white shirts, the two twin girls could not have had more differing opinions about beginning kindergarten. Lizzie, practically vibrating with excitement, let go of Josie's hand to join the other kids gathering in the courtyard. Despite her parents best efforts and encouragement, Josie refused to follow her sister's lead. Squeezing her mother's hand tighter, Josie hid behind her mother's pant leg, whimpering.

Caroline chuckled, patting her daughter's head lovingly. "Oh, Josette; It's alright, honey.", Caroline cooed, tilting Josie's head upward so she could look into her daughter's woeful eyes. "I know school seems scary, but you're going to have so much fun here! You'll make tons of new friends, and learn so many new things, you'll wonder why you were ever scared in the first place." "I don't want to go!", Josie cried, her bottom lip jutting out into a wobbly pout. "Please don't make me go!" Caroline turned to her husband for assistance, so Alaric crouched down to his daughter's height. "Josie, honey, there's nothing to be afraid of.", he assured her, wiping the tears away from her face. "Mommy and I will be right here in the school if you need us, and we'll be right here when class is over." Josie began to sob, so Alaric glanced around to find something to distract her. He found what he was looking for in the form of one, lone girl. An idea crossed through his mind. "Look, Josie.", he said, pointing over in the girl's direction. "That girl looks like she could use a friend; Why don't you go say hello?"

Josie rubbed her eyes, glancing in the direction her father was pointing. On one of the benches in the courtyard was a girl just a little smaller than Josie was, reading a book with an attractive, multicolored cover. Her eyes scanned each page carefully, swinging her feet under the bench absent-mindedly. Long, black curls cascaded down her shoulders, green eyes holding intense concentration. The girl was beautiful; She reminded Josie of a princess. Her father was right; The girl was a moderate distance away from the other kids, appearing to be on her own. Josie hesitated- what if the girl was mean to her? What if she didn't like Josie? As if reading her daughter's thoughts, Caroline squeezed Josie's shoulder. "The only way we can face our fears is through them.", she stated, urging her daughter forward. "Go ahead, Josie; Go say hi. Daddy and I will be right here." Josie took a deep breath, reluctantly letting go of Caroline's hand. She wandered a few steps forward, before turning back to her parents nervously. Alaric and Caroline waved back to her, supporting her with broad, proud smiles. Josie turned back, reaching the girl on the bench.

"Hello.", Josie spoke, drawing the girl's attention away from her book. "My name is Josie. What is your name?" The girl eyed her for a second, observing Josie with curious eyes. After a few seconds, the girl replied. "My name is Penelope.", she answered, smiling at Josie. "I am six and a half years old, and I am a witch." "So am I!", Josie exclaimed, her fear forgotten in the presence of her new classmate. "This is my first day; I'm a little nervous." Penelope glanced around them suspiciously before leaving over to whisper in Josie's ear. "So am I", she whispered, before holding her finger up to her lips like she was sharing a secret with Josie. "Do you like books? This one is my favorite." "I can't read yet.", Josie admitted, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Penelope didn't seem to notice Josie's embarrassment, scooting closer to the brunette. "Here, you can hold the book and I'll read it, okay?" Josie took the offered book, nodding eagerly. Penelope began to read off the pages, her voice low and soothing to Josie's ears. Josie found herself listening not just to the words Penelope was speaking, but more so to the way Penelope said them. The two girls continued to read together until their teacher came to collect them to come inside.

When Josie looked up, she realized that her parents had already left. Panic gripped her chest, and she could feel herself begin to shake before Penelope turned back to Josie, holding out her hand. "It's okay, Josie. I miss my daddy too.", Penelope admitted to her sadly. "But now you have me, okay?" Josie bit her lip anxiously, reaching out to take Penelope's offered hand. Together, they followed their class into the building. "Did I tell you I like your flowers?", Penelope stated, and Josie shook her head no. Penelope reached up, running her fingers over the purple flowers in Josie's hair. "They're pretty, like you. Chrysanthemums are my favorite." Josie was momentarily stunned by Penelope's comment, a fluttering feeling building up in her stomach before Penelope once again snapped her from her thoughts. "C'mon, Josie.", she exclaimed, and Josie followed. Her mother had been right; Josie couldn't even remember why she'd been so scared that morning. In Penelope, she'd found her first friend.

________________________________________________________________________

It's a single petal at first; It comes up just as Josie's dragging herself out of bed one morning. Waking had gotten harder in the weeks following her breakup with Penelope. Class was torture, watching Penelope flirt with their classmates, watching Penelope Park perform spells, noticing Penelope at all. Everywhere she turned, there the witch was; It irritated Josie, and depressed her too. It was all too much to see the girl, the breakup still a fresh wound even after weeks apart. Some days she simply didn't wake, lingering in bed even long after Lizzie had left for the day. She would deal with her parent's wrath later, certainly, but Josie couldn't bring herself to care; Even their disappointment could not harm her worse than the dismissal Penelope had inflicted on her. It was shaping to be another one of those days when Josie felt a terrible burn in her throat. She coughed to clear her throat, and out came one lone, purple petal.

Josie didn't have to guess what kind of flower the petal had come from; She'd boughten Penelope enough Chrysanthemums to know their image by heart.

Panic seized in her chest; Of course, she'd heard of Hanahaki disease before. It was a myth in the magical world, a legend passed down from generation to generation, coven to coven in hushed whispers. Josie had never believed in them; Had disregarded it as folklore and nothing more. Even staring down at the petal in her palm, Josie was in disbelief. She'd known Penelope didn't love her anymore- she'd made that clear when she'd broken up with Josie, but having the confirmation come from her own body was a surreal experience. Josie coughed again, and a second petal joined the first, an identical hue of purple. Josie swallowed hard; At that moment, Josie knew she was screwed. Josie was infected with Hanahaki disease, and Hanahaki disease was incurable.

Josie prayed for a miracle.


	2. Chapter 1

Around Josie, life continues; A week after the first petals arrived, everyone in unsuspecting to Josie's new problem. The petals come slowly and painfully- a few sprout from her throat as she's brushing her teeth, another flutters into her hand after running in gym class. They're always the worst when she first wakes up, coughing up a handful of petals into her hands that she discards moments later. A few very rarely bother her throughout the day. The species of flower differs upon the day- sunflower petals after she's spent just a little too long gazing in Penelope's direction, a few bluebell petals when she screws up a potion in class, right in Penelope's line of sight. She nearly gags up a whole Carnation when Penelope deliberately shifts away from her in the halls, and the ignorance hurts almost as much as the flowers in her throat. Yellow Carnations- they mean Rejection. Josie marks it down in the logbook she'd made to track how fast the disease was spreading, tears smudging the ink on the page. 

After Josie had coughed up her first petal, she'd taken her time trying to decide what she should do. She'd decided after some time that the best thing to do would be to educate herself; Josie could only deal with what she could understand, after all. That very day she had scoured the library's shelves, searching desperately for something that could aid her. While she had found no information on the disease, in particular, she did find a book of flowers and their meanings. Josie had smuggled it out of the library in her backpack, hiding it under her mattress until she could be alone with it. Every time she coughed up a new petal, she would look up its meaning in the book. So far, she'd coughed up five different flowers- Sunflowers (Adoration), Bluebells (Humility), Petunias (Anger), Peonies (Shame), and- of course- Chrysanthemums. They're almost always Chrysanthemums. Every time those purple petals flutter down to the ground, it's another reminder of something she used to love, and that is now gone. 

"Earth to Josie!", Lizzie yells, snapping her fingers in Josie's face to get her sister's attention. "You're not even listening to me! It's like you're on another planet or something." "I'm sorry", Josie mumbles half-heartedly, tapping her pencil against her worksheet rhythmically; The monotonous tone soothes her. "You have my attention." Lizzie dives into a rant about the project they're working on, and Josie tries her best to listen. Her focus, however, is on the other room where Penelope Park sits surrounded by a cluster of witches. Josie hates to admit it, but Penelope looks good- great, even. She doesn't have tired eyes like Josie or gives off any indication that she, too, is suffering from Josie's fate. The thought of it angers her- how unfair it is that she is dying from the weight of loving Penelope while she gets to live her life, unaffected. Even through the haze of her anger, however, she can't hate Penelope like she wishes she could. Josie never could be mad at Penelope for long, even when they were young children; Josie would forgive her anything. She guessed maybe that was part of her problem. 

The burning stings at her throat and Josie bends down to cough into her hand. Two small Petunia petals glide down into her palm; Josie crushes them tightly in her hands. She blinks back tears, willing herself not to cry where everyone could bear witness to her emotions. She wipes roughly at her eyes, sitting back up as straight as she can. She focuses on her worksheet with as much energy as she can, turns it in at the end of class half completed. As she's walking out of the classroom doors, she catches Penelope's eyes before she heads down the hall. There's a flash of something in her eyes that Josie can't quite read, but then it's gone. Josie stands frozen as Penelope smirks at her and walks away. She doesn't move until Penelope is out of sight, her eyes following the girl's figure wistfully. 

When she turns to walk to class, she can feel the sunflower petals stinging the inside of her throat. 

__________________________________________________________

It's two weeks later when the rumors begin- Penelope Park has a new boyfriend. Josie hears them as she's walking to class, stops right in her tracks as anxiety grips her chest. She doesn't want to believe it, refuses to believe it, but she can no longer live in denial when Penelope and MG walk down the hall hand in hand, Penelope's laughter resounding through the hallway. MG waves to her as he passes her, but Josie keeps her head down so she can no longer see the couple. When she glances back up, the hallways are empty and Josie realizes that more time had passed than she thought. 

That day and the days after, the petals come in handfuls. They're not Chrysanthemums; right color, but the wrong flower. Lumps of matted Hyacinth petals lodge in her throat, making it harder and harder for Josie to breathe. At one point, as Josie's heaving petals into the toilet, a whole Hyacinth flower falls into the water below her. They're probably Josie's favorite flower out of the bunch- they remind her of the flowers her mother used to plant in the garden when she was a child. The thought pains her, and panic begins to set in. Her parents- How long would it be until they found out their daughter was dying? Because Josie knew she was dying- it was slowly, and painfully, but it was happening. There would be no way for her to spare them that pain; So, Josie decided, she wouldn't tell them. Or Lizzie, or Hope, or anyone. This was a secret Josie was taking to her grave; she would bear this burden alone. As the last petals dislodged from her throat, Josie stood shakily to her feet. 

Then she brushed the perfumey taste of flowers out of her mouth before going to bed.


	3. #BlackoutTuesday

On May 25, 2020 the nation watched in horror for nearly nine minutes as Officer Derek Chauvin ruthlessly killed George Floyd, a 41 year old black male. Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck with steady, heavy pressure as Floyd begged for his life. After nearly ten minutes, he died of asphyxiation. Some of his last words: "I can't breathe." This sparked a national outrage, leading to protests and riots all across the nation to combat a problem that has been plaguing America for way too long: police brutality. These past few days have been difficult. I have heard recounts from my friends after they were teargassed, beaten, and mocked by the police while peacefully protesting in the streets. They were shot at with rubber bullets. They were threatened to be arrested. Still, they fought on, and they are still fighting, because they know that this is a small portion of the violence that black individuals experience daily. If this disturbs you, it's because it should. What started as a movement to give Floyd and his family justice has evolved into the beginning of a new civil rights movement. This is not a "black" issue; It is a human rights issue. It is a war against racism and oppression in today's America. It is an outcry for justice and change. I will be damned if I keep my silence while my fellow brothers and sisters continued to suffer. This is not up for debate, or discussion; black lives matter, and they deserve to be fought for. I urge all of you to educate yourselves and make your voices heard. Amplify the voices of the unheard, and if you can please donate to organizations that support the BLM movement and that pay legal fees for protestors that have been wrongly arrested. Every amount helps. As for me, I will not be updating for the foreseeable future as I am doing everything I can to protect and inform the people around me, and also myself. I wish you all well and urge you to stay safe during this difficult time. ACAB. Black Lives Matter. No Justice, No Peace. - Katt

Here are some resources that you can donate to: 

Black Lives Matter   
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019

George Floyd Memorial Fund  
https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd

The Loveland Foundation:   
https://thelovelandfoundation.org/

Campaign Zero:  
https://www.joincampaignzero.org/

The NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund:  
https://org2.salsalabs.com/o/6857/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=15780&_ga=2.231342234.480782673.1591028794-1029022299.1591028794

Community Bail Funds:  
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bail_funds_george_floyd

The ACLU:  
https://action.aclu.org/give/fund-every-fight-ahead

Color of Change:   
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/blackpatients?ak_proof=1&akid=42394.5191726.pitPAa&amount=5&rd=1&recurring=1&refcode=stage1_nondonors_link1&refcode2=42394_5191726_pitPAa&t=3


	4. Chapter 4

To Josie, it becomes a routine. 

She wakes, coughing up petals of varying varieties and at differing speeds. Three weeks in, nearing on a month, and Josie's throat is rubbed so raw that it stings every time she swallows. Her stomach feels empty, hollow with hunger- it's becoming increasingly harder to keep food down, so Josie lives off saltine crackers and water. It makes her body ache, her head throb with pain, but Josie still believes that she is managing her condition well. It hurts less than it should- the exhaustion, the rawness- because Josie has reached a point where she feels desensitized to it all. If it's acceptance or a strange denial Josie is not sure, but she's relieved that the initial dread is gone. With the help of the sleeping pills she'd stolen from Lizzie, she sleeps mostly through the night. School becomes more laborious, her energy declining more and more by the day, but it is still accomplishable. With a little assistance from an energy potion made almost solely of Redbull and Hope's enchanted herbs, she can mostly function without inducing any suspicion. The days slip by, and Josie's condition slips with it. Still, no one discerns Josie's decline; Mostly because Josie has secluded herself from them all, out of fear of anyone discovering her secret. There is still, however, one area of life that Josie cannot escape- high school gym class. 

Josie is only halfway through her mile-long jog when her energy runs out, and she must force herself to sit down under the shade. She rests against one of the trees by where the rest of her class is, straining to catch her breath. Before the disease, Josie had been in the best shape of her life; Mostly due to the plethora of monsters that stumble their way through the doors of the Salvatore school. Fighting beside Hope and Lizzie has its perks, including being forced to exercise much more than she ever would willingly. Right before the petals started appearing, Josie had developed a stamina that nearly rivaled Hope's, but now a simple trot around the campus made her lungs burn. When her teacher was distracted, Josie stood uneasily to her feet, reentering the building and taking a long sip of water from the nearest water fountain. She bent over the basin, closing her eyes as nausea overcame her sense. Josie was so distracted by the heat's effects on her body that she didn't notice someone else had entered her space until said person bent over the water fountain to her left, silver rings clinking against the metal basin. 

Josie watched as the figure gathered a curtain of black hair into her hands, tieing the band on her wrist around it. Once the hair was out of her face, Josie could see Penelope's face. Green eyes shot over in Josie's direction, that green gray color that they took on whenever Penelope was anxious or stressed clouding over her normally bright irises, but Penelope stayed silent. Josie jumped back as if she had been burned, staring down the girl in front of her with unabashed anger in her features. She could feel the fluffy edges of the pentunia flowers sticking to her throat, but she swallowed them down hard. There was no way in hell Josie would ever let Penelope see how pitifully in love she still was. "Hey, Jojo.", Penelope murmured gently, offering a half-smile in Josie's direction. The normal fire sparked in her actions had dwindled, leaving an almost neutralized verson of the witch in it's place. "It's a nice day outside, isn't it?" It catches Josie offguard- the softness of Penelope's words, how normal the moment felt. Penelope was asking Josie about the weather, and Josie was trying her best not to blow up in the middle of the hallway. For a fleeting second, Josie wonders if this is how her sister feels during one of her breakdowns. Josie might not be having a meltdown herself, but she found herself melting at Penelope's voice. "You hate the heat", Josie croaks, gripping onto the side of the water fountain like a lifeline. Penelope looked down sheepishly, glancing up at Josie through her eyelids. "Okay, you caught me.", Penelope admitted with a soft chuckle. "It was just the first thing I could think of to say that wouldn't scare you away. I was hoping we could maybe talk- you know, alone?"

Josie doubled over, groaning as a burning pain overtook her body. Penelope stepped back, concerned about the sudden change in Josie's stature, but not knowing what exactly to do. Josie clasped her hands over her mouth, stumbling away from Penelope and to the nearest restroom she could find. She heaved a wet mixture of pinks and purples into the toilet, tears streaming down her face from the agony she was in. She hit the handle weakly to wash away the evidence, sitting back against the cool metal of the stall. When she opened her eyes, her blood froze; Before her stood one of the last people Josie expected to see- a very pale Hope Mikaelson, staring at Josie with shock and horror written all over her face. Hope swallowed hard, her fists clenched against her sides. 

"Josette Olivia Saltzman, what the hell have you done?"


	5. I think I owe you all an apology...

Hi, everyone. It's been a while since we talked. I'm very sorry about that. Once the pandemic hit, a lot of things went on the backburner- my writing included. I've been so majorly stressed out with family, Corona, and then the holidays that I haven't had the mental clarity to write anything. 2020 was rough. I moved out of my mother's house, started a whole new life in a new city, and learned a lot of lessons and met a lot of people along the way. Now i'm ready to say goodbye to 2020 and get back to doing what I love- creating stories to entertain all of you. Please bear with me as I sort myself out and get everything together for the near future. Updates will be slow and infrequent- as they've always been- but I promise to put the very best of myself into every chapter, every paragraph, and every line. I'm glad to be back, and I hope you join me in this new and exciting chapter of my life. 

Love Always, Iries.


End file.
